GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 323 GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020, Online: ISSN 2320-9186 www.globalscientificjournal.com Culturally Significant Edible Plants in Ovia area of Edo State-Nigeria Omogiade, Jim Osagie College of Education Ekiadolor- Benin 08029402220: [email protected] Ojeifo, O. Magnus Department of Geography and Environmental Management, Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma-Nigeria Abstract This paper is an inventory of culturally significant edible plants in Ovia area of Edo state. To achieve this objective, the study adopted a descriptive survey type of research design. Data required for the study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The method used for the primary data collection comprises of the personal interview and research questionnaire. Data collected were summarized and presented in a table. Result of the analysis shows that there were 39 culturally significant edible plants commonly exploited in the area for multiple uses. To sustain this trend, the need for active community participation in forest resource management was suggested for the benefit of all in this century. Keywords: Culturally Significant, Edible Plants, Conservation, Community Participation 1.0 Introduction In the history of mankind, forest resources have been exploited and are still been exploited from culture to culture by many as a major source of livelihood. One of such forest resource is edible plants. Literary sources show that there are more than twenty thousand (20,000) known species of edible plants in the world, many of which are "wild" or "semi-wild" GSJ© 2020 www.globalscientificjournal.com GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 324 stands in "native" forests (Dawson, Leakey, Clement, Weber, Cornelius, Roshetko, Vinceti, et al, 2014). As Brandeis and Hodges (2015) note 50 per cent of all fruits consumed by humans originate from plants. In particular, the exploitation of these plant products has been found to contribute significantly to rural households (FAO, 2005). However, previous rural household surveys only capture conventional rural livelihood activities such as crop cultivation, livestock rearing and cottage activities and rarely incorporate the cultural value of plant products to the local people. Therefore, a study of this nature becomes imperative most especially as several studies including Dubois (2003), Shackleton (2004) and Dolon, Sobhan and Mukherjee (2015) have reported that plant products have many cultural benefits to the local people that are difficult to value precisely in economic terms such as cultural sites, species consumption and aesthetic benefits. Flowing from the above, in Nigeria, as empirical evidence suggest the different ethnic groups have their unique and distinct cultural value regarding plant resources available in their area which they put to bear not only in their social relations but in relations with nature. This is often reflected in their lifestyles, customs, norms, arts and crafts, festivals, songs and folklore of the people of different communities in Nigeria. For example, many products derived from the palm tree (Elaeis guineensis) including palm wine, palm oil, local gin, palm kernel oil, brooms, mat, basket, hand fans, hats etc are culturally significant in the lifestyle and livelihood activities of the different ethnic groups such as the Ijaws, Igbo, Yoruba, Itsekiris, Ilajes, Edo's, Esan, Owan, Urhobo and Isoko people to mention but a few. Apart from the palm tree, many plant products have been identified in varying quantities and qualities in rural communities of the forested areas of the country but the ones that are often exploited by the people depend on the value they place on such products which also vary from one culture to another. For instance, the Bini speaking GSJ© 2020 www.globalscientificjournal.com GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 325 people of Edo state are notable for wood carving, furniture making and multiple uses of plant products as a major source of livelihood. To preserve the plant products in an area apart from the existing use of the formal approach to forest resources management some communities in Nigeria such as the sacred forests communities in Akpugoeze of Anambra State and Luangwa community in Imo State as a matter of tradition still maintain sacred forests where spiritual consultations and collection of herbs take place for the benefit of community members (Nigeria Fifth National Biodiversity Report, 2015). However, in the forested areas of Edo state in general and in Ovia area (which lies within the rain forest belt) in particular, the edible plants available are many and varied and their exploitation have been found to be significant to the livelihood of many urban and rural dwellers in the area but not well documented. This is due to lack of information on their true scientific identity or the botanical names of edible plants commonly exploited by the natives. If the scientific names of all the edible plant products were known, their value to the local economy would have been significantly higher. It is in this context that this paper sought to identify and document the edible plants commonly exploited from the forest and those cultivated in Ovia area of Edo state. This is the trust of this paper and the gap in knowledge that the study sought to fill. The Study Area The Ovia area of Edo State is made up of two local government areas: Ovia North- East and Ovia South-West local government areas, both of which lies within the rainforest belt in Edo state- Nigeria. The population of the area is about 417,211 as projected for 2018 at 3.5% annual growth rate (NPC, 2019). Ovia area is bounded in the North and West by Ondo State and in the GSJ© 2020 www.globalscientificjournal.com GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 326 East by Uhumwode, Egor, Oredo and Ikpoba-okha local government areas and in the South by Delta State. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Concept of Sustainable Resources Utilization The study is based on sustainable forest resource utilization. The concept is an application of the United Nations Brundtland 1987 sponsored conference report on Environment and Development. The concept explains that humans should learn to use the available resources in their locality today, in a manner that will not jeopardize the chances of their use by others in the future. As the report put it 'humanity can make sustainable development possible – to meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. According to Cronin, (2009) sustainable forest resources utilization means to harvest and utilize resources in a manner that will preserve the balance between the present human need, needs of the environment and that of the future human requirements. The concept is considered very relevant to this present study because it does not only prescribes a change of attitude towards natural resources exploitation, it also spurs us to action by way of conservation and protection, and to develop our natural resources-based industries up to the level that they can be able to manage wastes (reduce, reuse and recycle), and to minimize the rate at which we harvest and utilize timber and its derivatives. It also includes education and capacity building programmes such as communal forestry, beekeeping, cultivation of indigenous forest fruits and orchards (FAO, 2014). In all, the concept of sustainable forest resource utilization tends to balance the two competing moral demand of development and sustainability (Allaby, 1993), to GSJ© 2020 www.globalscientificjournal.com GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 327 achieve its multiple environmental, social and economic benefits at global, national and local scales (FAO, 2010). LITERATURE REVIEW Many empirical studies have been carried out on the cultural value of plants. For instance, Dolon, Sobhan and Mukherjee (2015) evaluated plants in Hindu Mythology, Festivals and Rituals and found that about 70 plant species were found to perform different mythological, ritual and festival functions. Kakudidi (2004) investigated the cultural uses of plants in selected communities around Kibale National Park, Western Uganda and found that 89 plant species were exploited for 26 cultural and social uses. The highest numbers of plants were those used in wedding ceremonies (25 species), followed by those used against witchcraft (18), religious ceremonies (15) while others range between 1–9 species. Whole plants use contributed 24.8%, followed by leaves (24%), stems (22%), seeds (12.8%) flowers and bark (5.5% each), rhizomes (1.8%) and leaf sheath, root and fruit with 0.9% each. Casey and Wynia (2010) investigated the cultural use of the Native Hawaiian Plants at Kīpuka Puaulu and reported that some plants such as side oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) was a type of grass often bundled, dried, and made into brooms and hairbrushes. Others include vanilla grass (Hierochloe odorata) used for the production of baskets, mats, rugs, bedding and cradleboards. It is widely acknowledged for its sweet and aromatic scent enhanced when it is rained on or burnt. Besides, the smoke from this plant is used to purify dancers: the leaves are mixed with tobacco and used in ceremonies where they are often burnt as a purifier. The same grass is also braided into women’s hair to signify the Mother Earth whereby each of the three GSJ© 2020 www.globalscientificjournal.com GSJ: Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2020 ISSN 2320-9186 328 strands that make up the braided hair have a specific cultural meaning: mind, body, and spirit. Similarly, Padma (2017) examined the importance of plants in religious festivals and the traditional healing system of the people of Telangana region. Result of the study revealed that the people of Telangana, Bathukamma, Bonalu, Ugadi and Vinayakachavithi had a unique culture of worshipping plants in regional festivals because of their role in rituals and alternative health care system.